Esteemed California coach Mike Montgomery did not rush to offer an apology for appearing to push Golden Bears star guard Allen Crabbe during a timeout huddle in the course their home game late Sunday against the USC Trojans.

Eventually, though, and not surprisingly, Montgomery’s bosses at Cal wanted assurances this would not occur again.

After declaring in a statement issued by the school she understood Sunday’s comeback victory over USC “was an emotional one for everyone who cares deeply about our men’s basketball program,” Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour said, “However, it is unacceptable for one of our coaches to have physical contact with student-athletes regardless of the circumstances. The second-half incident was certainly out of character for Mike Montgomery, and I am confident that something like this will not happen again.”

The video of the incident did cause a stir. It does not come up often that a basketball coach puts his hands on one of his players in full view of the public.

When, in 2006, then-Texas Tech coach Bob Knight used his hand to lift the chin of one of his players, Michael Price, it led to an extended public debate about his conduct even though Knight insisted he did nothing wrong.

Montgomery took the same approach to the aftermath of this circumstance after Cal rallied from 15 points behind in the second half to defeat the Trojans, 76-68. Crabbe played all 40 minutes, scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Montgomery said, according to Gorcey. “Nobody was ready to play. We were just standing. I was trying to get him going. Probably over-exaggerated it.

“Allen’s my guy. I need him. We can’t get going if he’s not ready to play.”

Later in the evening, Montgomery issued a statement indicating he was no longer endorsing his actions:

“I have great passion for this game and tonight I let my emotions get away from me in the heat of the moment. While my intent was to motivate our student-athletes, my behavior was inappropriate and I apologize for my actions.”

It was no particular shock when Knight’s situation became a big deal, given his reputation for volatile behavior. It’s much different with Montgomery, whose sideline demeanor long made him appear to be one of the least emotional coaches.

In the video of the huddle, after Montgomery appears to shove Crabbe with two hands to the midsection, Crabbe backs away with a surprised look, shaking his head. Then Bears forward Richard Solomon steps in and grabs Crabbe, twisting the front of his jersey into a ball in his left hand.

“I was asking him if he wanted to play,” Montgomery said, according to Gorcey. “He had no expression. It was all, ‘Woe is me.’ We needed a wake-up call.”

Crabbe scored 14 points following the incident and was among the most important factors in Cal's rally. The Golden Bears’ late rally lifted them to 16-9 overall, 8-5 in Pac-12 play. Guard Justin Cobbs also had a big night, scoring 22 points and dishing out six assists.

“You see the results when he’s ready and he’s motivated to play,” Cobbs said of Crabbe, according to Gorcey.